Driving Tours

You won't need a detailed highway map of Alaska, because Alaska doesn't have detailed highways. A triangle of paved two-lane highways connects Tok, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. From this triangle, a few routes reach to discrete destinations, and gravel roads penetrate the periphery of the Bush. Beyond a few miles of freeway around Fairbanks and Anchorage, highways all are narrow strips of asphalt or gravel through the wilderness. Always fill your tank before leaving town, as gas stations are far apart. A centralized report on road conditions and construction is operated by the Alaska Department of Transportation (tel. 511; http://511.alaska.gov). To help readers figure driving times, I have included my estimate of reasonable average speeds on each road (without stopping). These are based purely on my experience and assume dry, daylight conditions in summer.

Alaska Highway

Route 2 from the border to Delta Junction

Average speed (Alaska section): 55-65 mph

Running nearly 1,400 miles from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Delta Junction, Alaska, a couple of hours east of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway, this World War II road today is paved and generally easy driving. Two tiny towns lie on the Alaska portion of the road, Delta Junction and Tok. The prettiest part is on the Canadian side, in the Kluane Lake area.

Glenn Highway

Route 1 from Anchorage to Tok

Average speed: 55-65 mph, except 45 mph on Matanuska Glacier section

From the Alaska Highway, this is how you get to Southcentral Alaska, including Anchorage, 330 miles southwest of Tok. The northern section, from Tok to Glennallen (sometimes called the "Tok Cut-Off"), borders Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, with broad tundra and taiga broken by high, craggy peaks. Glennallen to Anchorage is even more spectacular, as the road passes through high alpine terrain and then close by the Matanuska Glacier, where it winds through a deep canyon valley carved by the glacier's river.

Parks Highway

Route 3 from near Anchorage to Fairbanks

Average speed: 60-65 mph

The George Parks Highway goes straight from Anchorage to Fairbanks, 360 miles north, providing access on the way to Denali National Park. The best parts are the vistas of Mount McKinley from south of the park and the alpine terrain on either side of Broad Pass, where the road crosses the Alaska Range and the park entrance. However, the Parks Highway is mostly a transportation route, less scenic than the Richardson or Glenn highways. From the northern (Fairbanks) end, the highway passes Nenana, then Denali and Talkeetna, and finally the towns of the Matanuska and Susitna valleys. Pick up a free road guide called "The Corridor" from the Alaska Public Lands Information Center in Anchorage or Fairbanks.

Richardson Highway

Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction, Route 2 from Delta Junction to Fairbanks

Average speed: 50-60 mph, except 45 mph in Thompson Pass section

The state's first highway, leading 364 miles from tidewater in Valdez to Fairbanks, lost much of its traffic to the Parks Highway, which saves more than 90 miles between Anchorage and Fairbanks, and to the Glenn Highway, which saves about 120 miles from Glennallen to Tok. But it's still the most beautiful paved drive in the Interior. From the south, the road begins with a magnificent climb through Keystone Canyon and steep Thompson Pass, just out of Valdez, then passes the huge, distant peaks of southern Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. North of Glennallen, the road climbs into the Alaska Range, snaking along the shores of long alpine lakes. The road descends again to the forested area around Delta Junction and meets the Alaska Highway before arriving in Fairbanks.

Seward Highway

Route 1 from Anchorage to Tern Lake, Route 9 from Tern Lake to Seward

Average speed: 45-60 mph, depending on traffic

The highway leaves Anchorage on the 127-mile drive to Seward following the rocky edge of mountain peaks above a surging ocean fjord. Abundant wildlife and unfolding views often slow cars. Later, the road climbs through high mountain passes above the tree line, tracing sparkling alpine lakes. Alaska's best trail hikes are here.

Sterling Highway

Route 1 from Tern Lake to Homer

Average speed: 50-60 mph, except 45 mph near Cooper Landing

Leading 142 miles from the Seward Highway to the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, the highway has some scenic ocean views on its southern section but is mostly a way to get to the Kenai River, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Kachemak Bay, and the towns of Cooper Landing, Soldotna, Kenai, and Homer.

The Roster of Rural Roads

Like frayed strands extending from the thicker rope of the main highways, these minor roads reach beyond the settled lines through Alaska into places where visitors can have real adventures. Due to the size of the state, I cannot cover everything to be found on these byways, but I have covered some highlights and enough information for you to explore on your own. You will find few other cars or tourists, lots of open land, friendly rural people, and limitless opportunities for solitude and discovery.

Unpaved highways can be hazardous. Plan on driving only 40 to 45 mph on gravel highways, and be aware of the risks of bouncing off the road or damaging your vehicle with rocks. Check road conditions, construction, and weather with the Alaska Department of Transportation (tel. 511; http://511.alaska.gov). Bring at least one full-size spare tire and consider carrying extra gasoline in jugs. Most vehicles can make it from one gas station to the next, but what if the station is closed or you have to turn around short of a refill? Insect repellent is an absolute necessity. Drive with your headlights on at all times, and wipe the dust off them and your tail lights periodically. Keep an eye on your rear-view mirror, slowing down or even stopping to allow vehicles to pass; to save your windshield from rocks, it's wise to slow down even for vehicles going the opposite direction. Also, pull off for views or pictures -- don't stop on bridges or in the middle of the road, as some people do..

Chena Hot Springs Road -- A relatively civilized road into the outdoors, this paved 57-mile highway east of Fairbanks meets hiking and river routes on the way to Chena Hot Springs.

Dalton Highway (Rte. 11) -- Built to haul equipment to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, about 500 miles north of Fairbanks, the supremely scenic Dalton reaches the heart of the wilderness, crossing the Brooks Range and the North Slope. Services are as much as a day's drive apart.

Denali Highway (Rte. 8) -- This 133-mile gravel road connects the midpoints of the Parks and Richardson highways, passing stunning alpine vistas high in the Alaska Range that rival those within Denali National Park. Along the way are a rich network of trails and mountain lakes, and a good chance to see caribou, bear, moose, and waterfowl.

Edgerton Highway & McCarthy Road (Rte. 10) -- Running east from the Richardson Highway south of Glennallen, the Edgerton leads to the tiny town of Chitina, where the McCarthy Road, a one-lane track, penetrates Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to the historic sites at McCarthy and Kennecott. The journey of 93 miles takes half a day.

Steese Highway (Rte. 6) -- This road, paved for the first 52 miles, climbs the rounded tundra mountains 162 miles east of Fairbanks to the Native village of Circle, on the Yukon River. It's a rare road deep into Bush Alaska.

Taylor Highway (Rte. 5) -- At times rough, narrow, and a little scary, this dirt road leads 161 miles from a junction on the Alaska Highway east of Tok to the fascinating Yukon River village of Eagle, an island in time.

Top of the World Highway (Yukon Rte. 9) -- Connecting to the Taylor Highway and crossing the Canadian border to Dawson City, a distance of 79 miles, the road rides mountaintop to mountaintop, above the tree line nearly the entire way.